The BabySitting Job
by Jaded-Skywalker
Summary: Padme Amidala has a day off from the senate, what will she do with her time?


**Hello, again! Here's another pointless little one-shot that I thought would be a cute idea. So I don't confuse you, this is set right before ROTS. **

**Enjoy and please review! **

**Oh, and by the way, **

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it, don't want it – I couldn't deal with all the crazy fans! **

**The Babysitting Job **

Padme Amidala sat down in penthouse on Coruscant, wondering when her Jedi husband, Anakin, would be home.

She and Anakin Skywalker had been married for nearly five years now; but Padme hadn't seen Anakin for a few months. She missed him terribly, like all the other times when they were separated, but this time she missed him all the more, because she had something very special to tell him.

_Ani, I'm pregnant! _

Padme had thought of all the different ways she wanted to tell him; and simply couldn't wait for that moment. Padme could imagine she and her husband rubbing her growing belly together, just like Padme had been doing alone for the past few months. Padme had nothing to do today, because she had had the day off from the senate. So Padme slowly raised herself from the couch, and walked over to her computer. Once she was on the holonet, she noticed an advertisement. It said:

_Need someone to watch about seven children for just one afternoon. Payment included. Please contact this number…_

Padme's eyes roamed over the advertisement for a few moments. For some reason, Padme found herself considering it.

_What are you thinking, Padme?_ She told herself, _why would you offer yourself as a babysitter for a day? To _seven_ children, no less. _

But still, Padme had the day off, and for some reason, it sounded appealing. And so, Padme reached for her comlink to call the number.

Mae Korr looked around the youngling room in nervousness. Mae was a Padawan who had signed up to work with four and five-year-old younglings for 'Jedi community service'. Today Mae had double-booked her schedule without knowing it. So, in an hour, Mae was supposed to have lightsaber practice with her Master – something she _could not _miss – but was also supposed to be watching the younglings she was in charge of. Mae couldn't ask for a replacement because she had already asked for one twice before when she had done something similar. Mae knew that if she asked again, her job of watching the younglings might be taken away from her. Mae couldn't risk that because she had to get the community service project done. So, out of desperate measures, Mae had posted a want add on the holonet. Now that she looked back on it, Mae knew it was a foolish thing to do.

_Anyone could accept – who knows! _Mae told herself. Mae looked around the room this time with a warm feeling. She didn't want _anything_ to happen to these seven little Jedi.

Just then, Mae's comlink signaled for a call coming in. She answered it, knowing that it wasn't her master.

_It must be someone who saw the advertisement! _

"Hello? This is Mae." Mae asked.

_Hello, _an adult female replied, _I'm calling in regard to the advertisement that you posted. _

"Oh," May replied, "Yes, may I ask what your name is?"

_Yes, I'm Padme. I was wondering if the position for a sitter was still available. _

_Padme? _ Mae thought, _that name sounds familiar... _then Mae answered, "Yes, ma'am, it is. Would you like to fill it in?" Mae asked, hoping that she would. _She s_ounds _nice… _

_Yes I would. _Padme replied, _where is your location? Or would you bring the children to me? _

_Good question, _Mae thought. Mae knew that she couldn't have some lady watching younglings in the Jedi Temple… But Mae wasn't so sure about leaving younglings with a stranger at a place where no one that Mae knew could save them if need be. Then, as Mae was still contemplating on that, the name of the lady clicked.

_Padme! Senator Padme Amidala from Naboo! _Mae realized, and then chastised herself. _I should have known that from my political class, a_nd _history class – I think she was a Queen once? _History had never been Mae's best subject. Then Mae remembered that the Senator was still waiting. _I wonder why she wants to do this? _Mae wondered, before replying to Padme's question.

"I'll drop the children off at your home – or wherever you are. If that's alright with you?"

_Yes, _came the reply, _that's fine. My address is…" _

Mae began to write down the address, and then replied,

"Oh thank you so much Senator. I'll be over there in half an hour." Mae then decided to tell the Senator about the younglings.

"One more thing, um, I'm calling from the Jedi Temple…So-" Mae stopped half way, feeling embarrassed. "So the children are Jedi younglings. They are very well behaved." Mae hastened to add the last part. "I'll see you soon, Senator Amidala."

_All right, I'll see you soon. _

Mae sighed with happiness as she told the younglings about it. She couldn't believe her luck.

Padme, on the other hand, was all of a sudden, filled with doubt.

_I just thought it would be fun – and, maybe, good practice for the future. _Padme thought with a smile as she looked at her belly. _But _Jedi _children? Oh well. Our child will undoubtedly have Ani's Force ability. It will still be good practice. Besides, how hard is it to take care of a few Jedi younglings? _

Padme no longer felt that confidence that she did fifteen minutes ago. She sighed in frustration. _Why did I ever agree to play this? _She asked herself, and then answered, _because you couldn't say no – they were just too cute. _Padme thought back to her mistake just fifteen minutes ago…

_Fifteen minutes ago_

After the Jedi Padawan, Mae, had left, Padme had walked back to the kitchen – where they were eating blue milk and cookies - to meet the younglings. After asking how old they were and learning their names, she had walked out to get her comlink and keep it with her in case Anakin called to tell her he was home. She knew that it was foolish, but she could hope. Then she heard a small voice.

"Miss senator?"

Padme turned around to face a little human girl.

"You can just call me Padme." Padme replied. Then asked, "what is it?"

"Um, the others and I were wondering if we could play hide-and-go-seek." Padme smiled. They were all so adorable. Although the little girl in front of her was almost five, most of the children were still four. And almost all of them had an adorable speech impediment. Unfortunately for Padme, it was almost impossible for her to say no to them.

"Of course we can." Padme answered, then walked back into her kitchen with the little girl.

When they both walked into the kitchen, the other children looked up at her.

"You would all like to play hide-and-go-seek?"

A chorus of yeses came back as a reply.

"Well then," Padme replied to the cheerful voices, "who wants to be it first?"

All the children pointed to Padme. And at that moment, Padme knew she was doomed.

_Back to the present _

Padme still felt like she was doomed. After many appeals, she had finally consented, but now she wished she hadn't. After ten minutes, Padme hadn't been able to find a single one.

_They're probably all hiding in a low place where I can't bend down and see because of this baby,_ Padme figured. Then a thought came to her. She had completely forgotten that these were no ordinary children; these were _Jedi _younglings.

_They're using the Force! I know it! _Padme realized that she might look and look, but may never find them. She sighed even louder then the first time and began looking again. She went into her and Anakin's bedroom, then into her huge closet. Then she stopped. She had _heard _something. It had sounded like a giggle, but she couldn't be sure. Then she heard another one. _I'm _sure_ that was a giggle! _She thought. Padme looked up, and she nearly shrieked. There, all along the top shelf of her closet ceiling, were seven younglings. The giggling became loud now; with all seven of them beyond stopping. Padme tried to look up at them with a stern frown, but found she couldn't be left out from the giggling for long. Soon she started laughing with them. After that, one by one, they all started climbing down. Padme could tell that the children were all focusing with the Force from keeping each child from falling down. Padme smiled, touched by how they cared about one another and used teamwork. Once all of them were down, they all crowded around her and began asking her questions – all at the same time.

"How long were you looking for us?"

"Did you almost give up?"

"Were you frustrated?"

"How did you find us?"

Padme smiled at the questions, but couldn't answer without being interrupted again. Once they all quieted down, she told them,

"I was very close to giving up, but then I heard a giggle, and I looked up and found you all!"

All of the children looked at the youngest of them, who had just turned four.

"Sowry." He told them, with a childish sincerity and a speaking impediment.

Padme ruffled his hair. "It's alright. I'm thankful you made a noise. If you hadn't, I might have never found you!" The children all smiled and then all of them left her closet and bedroom.

After that, Padme settled them all down to watch a holo, which they all agreed to. Padme was so grateful, and plopped right down next to them. About an hour after that, their Jedi guardian came. She looked to Padme like she had been doing a workout, and Padme remembered that Mae had told her that she had to have lightsaber practice with her Master.

"Thanks so much, Senator Amidala." Mae said, grateful.

"Oh it was nothing. They behaved quite well." Padme decided that she would let the younglings tell Mae about their hide-and-go-seek game. Once Mae and the children were gone, Padme breathed a sigh of relief.

_I am _never_ Jedi-sitting again!_

The End

**So did you like it? It's sort of a pointless little one-shot, but I hope you thought it was cute. **

**Please Review! **


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